[ BYUH TENNIS ]
BYUH wins
tennis titleThe Seasider women’s team beats
Lynn for its fifth championship
The 2001 season was officially a fluke.
The Brigham Young-Hawaii women's tennis team won its fifth NCAA title yesterday, beating Lynn 5-1 at Altamonte Springs, Fla., in the Division II championships.
The Seasiders have only lost one match -- going 204-1 -- since joining the NCAA in 1998. That one loss, to Lynn in the 2001 title match, cost them a national championship. But BYUH has beaten Lynn three times since its only NCAA-II loss. The Seasiders have met the Knights five times in the NCAA tournament, with the Seasiders knocking the Knights out of the semifinals in each of the past two years.
"It was really exciting to be in the final. It's always special," top-seeded singles player Adrienn Hegedus said. "Unfortunately, we lost one doubles. We didn't play as well as yesterday, but fortunately we won two of three doubles.
"We were really confident with singles. ... It was really special. We are really happy to be a national champion. The previous one, we were not as strong as this year. Therefore last year was special because even though we hoped we could win, it was not so obvious. This year was not so easy. The whole year we were working so hard. We practiced really hard for this one week."
And it showed. BYUH dropped just one match this week en route to its third straight title.
"The girls were focused today and are happy to bring another championship back to BYU-Hawaii," said BYUH coach Dave Porter, who counts this as his ninth national championship. "We knew we were playing a strong team today in Lynn and that they would be very competitive. We are glad to get it done."
Judy Weng and Amy Sun started BYUH's fifth title celebration in six years, dispatching Monse Palacios and Dragana Ilic 8-2 in doubles before Anna Lewis and Gurianna Korinohona gave it right back by losing to Andrea Kostricova and Bucke Yavuz. Hegedus and Jing Jing Liu finished doubles with an 8-6 win, putting Lynn in the position of needing to win five of the six singles matches.
And winning five of six singles matches against the Seasiders is as impossible now as it ever was. Hegedus quickly swept through Lynn's ace, Ilic, 6-0, 6-2, and Sun added her point shortly thereafter.
"There's a reason why they (BYU-Hawaii) are 260-something and three and it's because they are a great team and used to winning," Lynn coach Mike Perez said. "I am proud of all of our seniors, and there is no shame in finishing second."
Sun beat Dina Bajramovic 6-0, 6-0 to close her collegiate career unbeaten at 117-0 and with three national titles. Sun plays in the No. 5 spot. Her streak includes four national-title matches, more than 30 matches against NCAA Division I competition and a win in BYUH's 2001 loss.
Korinohona earned the honor of clinching the title for the Seasiders, dropping Palacios 6-1, 6-2 to allow Liu, Lewis and Weng to abandon their matches in favor of a title celebration. Liu and Weng were leading their matches, while Lewis was losing.
"The ones who had played their third or fourth championship match in a row were relieved when it was finally sealed and done," said Porter, who took the team out to its annual celebratory dinner at the Olive Garden. "The new ones, they had a sparkle in their eyes."
The Seasiders return to Hawaii today at 3:30 p.m. on Delta flight 91. Hegedus won't be with her teammates, as she traveled straight home to Hungary following the championship.